Hi all, Quick question... I'm currently running Windows 7. If I use the upgrade assistant, I assume I'll get a nice burnable ISO and the product key for my copy of Windows 8 Pro for $40 (or however much it is). Unfortunately, I feel this laptop is on its last legs. I really want to try Windows 8, but I'm not sure if I want to spend the money just to have the license become useless in a month or two when it dies and I need to get a new one. Will the upgrade assistant license work on future PC's I buy? Is there anything special I would have to do beforehand to deactivate this laptop before using the key on a new one? Or is it a one-time use, never good again kind of deal? Thanks!
In terms of the licence agreement (i.e. legally speaking), yes you can transfer the licence to another PC that you own. However, I don't know how this would work in practice in terms of online activation. There is no such thing as "deactivate" before moving to a new PC. It's possible that it will just activate fine on the new PC (there may be a limit like you can activate 3 times a year or some such). It's also possible that the online activation won't work, but in that case, since you have a legally purchased licence that you have the right to move, you should be able to talk to Microsoft on the phone and they will help you move it.
You can test the ability of your machine with one of this Evaluation copies. They are automatically activated for 180 days, if there is an internet connection. Or you take any version, think best is pro retail and activate against a KMS-Host for testing and later you activate it with your own key . Regards
I stuffed up my Parallels install shortly after using my shiny new (legit) Windows 8 key and like a muppet hadn't yet made a backup. After a fresh install I entered the key again and it said it was already in use I then used phone activation telling it Windows was installed on only one PC, this was accepted and the code given over the phone worked fine. This also worked for my WMC key obtained from the free offer.
explain for the wmc key?? does this mean once we activate it we can call in and say we need to re-activate in if we move to another machine??
Interesting indeed.... That way, you *could* "move" the free key to another machine. Of course, the next question would be: Would this "Free-key-moving-to-new-machine-by-phone-activation" also work after 1/31/2013? I think it's time for a FAQ on this?
Note that there is a big difference between the licence for the Win 8 Pro upgrade key ($15/$40), and the WMC upgrade key (currently free). You are allowed to transfer the licence for the Win 8 Pro Upgrade to another machine. You are NOT allowed to transfer the licence of the WMC upgrade. The WMC upgrade is permanently and forever (both legally and from activation point of view) tied to one machine. Edit: the link by lasseska is not relevant, it is for the OEM/System Builder version, which has different licence terms than both the Pro Upgrade key and the WMC upgrade key.
If you re-use the Product Key, Upgrade or whatsoever, for Windows 8 Pro, you could do a clean new installation on an different PC. If you use the ISO downloaded with WUA you may face some problems on the "new" PC because that ISO were make "special" for the PD you ordered the new Key for as Upgrade Key. Instead using an full Retail ISO/DVD of Windows 8 Pro, it even didn't ask for the prior installed OS. If you use an Retail Upgrade ISO/DVD, it will need an installed prior OS xp-vista-win7! So the best deal would be using an full Retail ISO/DVD for a new installation.
The "Transfer" of an WMC isn't permitted at all while the transfer of Windows 8 Pro is, even to an other person, as long as you also transfer the downloaded Program (who could check that?!) and the Prove of Purchase to the new Owner.
You are right about the legal (in terms of licencing) part, just as you said. The Windows 8 Pro Upgrade licence terms are separate from the WMC upgrade licence terms. The Windows 8 Pro Upgrade licence is transferable. The WMC Upgrade is non-transferable. So you can install the Windows 8 Pro Upgrade on one computer, and then later transfer it to another. You can install WMC upgrade on one computer, but then you can't transfer it to another. (btw, isn't this what I said a few posts above yours?) However, you are mixing several things up after that. As far as licencing is concerned, what media/method you use to install is irrelevant. Second, let's look at the technical part, namely online activation. When you use a product key (Pro Upgrade or WMC Upgrade) on a particular computer, and you activate, that product key gets bound to the hardware signature of that computer in Microsoft's database. If you then try to use that product key on a different computer and activate there, Microsoft's activation server notices that your hardware signature does not match. What happens next is entirely up to Microsoft, and depends on their policy of if/how they are enforcing the license terms through online activation. In the case of the WMC upgrade key, it is very clear what happens: the key will not activate on a second computer. Simple. In the case of the Pro upgrade key, the situation is not clearly known, because there are no known reports of someone crazy enough to try and activate the same key on a large number of different computers. The best guess that anyone has at the moment is that the key will activate a few times on several different computers, but there is likely to be a limit, for example 3 activations a year or something like that. This is to allow people who (legitimately) move their licence from one PC to another. Thirdly, you wrote things about the installation media and methods that is simply not true. The iso you get through WUA does not contain any information that binds it to the PC that it was downloaded on. Yes, every iso generated by WUA is different, but the differences are not PC specific. In fact, Microsoft themselves support using the WUA on one computer to purchase the upgrade and download the iso, then use the iso for installing the upgrade on a different computer instead. You are also wrong on what installation pathways are possible with each iso. The iso generated by WUA does allow clean installations. Lastly, the question of licencing and activation is independent from the issue of what iso and upgrade path (clean install or not) you use.
So I guess the answer to the OP is that we don't know yet? The best course of action if I did do it though would be to download the RTM copy of Windows 8 Pro from the stickied threads, do a clean install and use the upgrade product key?
So just to make this clear to everyone 1.if u purchase windows 8 pro via the on-lined m$ upgrade & download the image & burn to a dvd 2. you receive a upgrade product key (some report this to be a retail key & you may also be able to do a clean install with the image you obtain from m$) 3.once you`ve install the software via upgrade or clean install if this option is possiable your windows 8 pro will activate providing your online 4.now you need to obtain a free WMC key from m$-once you receive the key add features & enter your WMC key this will add the feature you require & your system will restart to add it Now i see a possiable problem say 6mths down the line you need to re-install the key you have for your Windows 8 Pro should activate But what about the key for WMC as these need to be activated before 31/01/2013-will that key still activate & add the WMC feature Or do customers who purchase via the upgrade offer need to backup their activated system using the advanced tokens manager or other backup image software any conformation of the above would be helpfull to others
Noone can be 100% certain at this point, but the general consensus here on MDL is that it is very, very likely that once you activated a key, you can reactivate with it forever, even after 01/2013. The only thing you have to make sure is that the first activation is before 01/2013.
If you talked about my post #11 in this thread, you're wrong! I would suggest that you read the Licenses Terms of MS and you could easily find that MS clearly states what are the Transfer Terms. This is the 2. post of your's with an misinterpretation of what I'd written. Please clarify. Thanks.
I can only speak from experience as regards the WMC upgrade key. I already had the free WMC key activated on a PC, the motherboard was proving to be unsuitable so I swapped it out. I reinstalled 8 Pro retail with the well known key, activated with KMS server then used the same WMC key again to upgrade. After the WMC upgrade and final reboot activation failed because the WMC key was in use, so went I through the 'contact Microsoft option phone activation' method. The automated system at Microsoft asked for the numbers on the screen, then how many PCs this key was used on, then gave me back an activation code and the WMC key was transferred to my new motherboard and activated. The WMC upgrade key is transferable, for now anyway.